The Night Guard
by dying english
Summary: A year has passed since the dissolution of the original Teen Titans and Raven is just beginning to adjust to her new life as a civilian in Jump City, but when an organization dedicated to destroying evil targets the young half-demon she must make an unlikely alliance with old enemies and new friends to survive. Contains violence and language, maybe made M later. Reviews welcome!
1. Genesis- Ladies Night

**Obligatory Legal Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction created by a fan with no legal rights to Teen Titans or DC comics. All characters featured in this story are property of their respective owners save for OC's which are my own creation and not featured in any official works. My ass covered yet? Good. Enjoy the story.**

Genesis- Part One

In the cool darkness of Mother Weaver's office Captain Lamb stood uncomfortably at attention before his commanding officer. Though a full twenty years his junior she was a woman to be respected nonetheless. At thirty-one years old Theresa Weaver was the youngest ever to take on the responsibility of overseeing The Order of Michael. Tall and slender, her long blonde hair was pulled back into a bun and her icy blue eyes scanned the contents of the file in front of her behind gold rimmed glasses. Indeed, it would be an unusual sight to see the two of them in a room together out of context. She, a beautiful woman wearing a professional black pantsuit and just enough makeup to accent her natural beauty and he, a bear of a man that resembled a LARPer on steroids. Lamb wore the armor that was standard issue to members of The Order, a high density polymerized silver woven in a manner to resemble the long retired chainmail underneath a crisp white tabard bearing the orders insignia; a red winged longsword with a fanged serpent coiled around the blade. Mother Weaver wore a broach on her lapel bearing the same insignia. She closed the file, pushed it away from her and turned her chilling gaze to the captain.

"I am a very busy woman Captain Lamb." She said. Her voice was surprisingly deep for a woman and she spoke just slightly above a whisper but Isaac Lamb did not miss a single word. "The contents of this dossier are little more than a name and a few photographs."

She crossed her fingers in front of her.

"So tell me… why should I allow you to use valuable manpower and resources on this endeavor?"

"I know that it doesn't seem like much Mother Weaver but I have reason to believe that this girl, this Rachel Roth is in fact the Teen Titan formerly known as Raven." Lamb said. "As you are well aware the Teen Titans disbanded last year. The boy wonder has returned to the East, to Bludhaven and is currently operating under the alias "Nightwing", the automaton Cyborg has become a full member of the Justice League, Beast Boy returned to his position in the Doom Patrol and the alien known as Starfire has presumably left Earth to parts unknown to us. Raven however simply vanished without a trace. I think this is because she never left Jump City. I think she assimilated into society as a civilian."

"On what grounds do you believe that Miss Roth and Raven are one in the same?" Weaver asked patiently.

 _At least she's willing to hear me out._ Lamb thought with an internal sigh of relief.

"Our watchers in Jump City have reported that she frequents several of Raven's old haunts." Lamb said. "She may have changed her face and name but it would appear that she is a creature of habit."

"There are many who turn their eyes from God and wallow in dens of sin." Weaver said.

She opened a silver cigarette case on her desk and took out a cigarette. She closed the case with a snap and tapped the cigarette against the lid. He was losing her.

"She's the right height and age." Lamb persisted. "Official records state that she transferred to the UJC last year from Hope Massachusetts. However, when our watchers did a little digging it was discovered that the transcripts from the girl's previous school were forgeries and there was no record of a Rachel Roth having ever been born in that town. The same can be said of her "sister" Nicole Roth. Their birth certificates, social security numbers, any legal documents that prove that they were born on US soil are all forgeries."

"It is suspicious," Weaver said thoughtfully. "But not exactly damning, not to us anyway."

"Mother Weaver," Lamb said. "This girl Rachel Roth is no girl at all. She is the Cambion Raven, a she-demon, a monster, a wolf prowling among our flock of this I am certain. I would bet my life on it."

Weaver lit her cigarette and exhaled a long stream of gray smoke from her mouth.

"Would you?" She asked coolly.

Weaver picked up a photo from the file and stared at it hard. She couldn't deny the two girls favored each other. The only key differences were their hair and skin. Rachel's hair was jet black as opposed to the Cambion's unearthly shade of violet and she seemed to be of Asian ancestry, her pale skin the color of milk instead of Raven's demonic gray and they both dressed in a manner that suggested that they might meet each other at a Razor Beast concert. It could very well be a coincidence but Lamb was a seasoned Captain who had hunted the enemies of God for most of his adult life. His instincts were uncanny and this prey was just too tempting to ignore…

"Very well Captain Lamb you have convinced me." Weaver said putting the picture down. "Deploy a small unit of Knights to Jump City to assist the Watchers in their reconnaissance. If you find irrefutable proof that Miss Roth is in fact the Cambion Raven… then you know what you must do."

"Yes Director Weaver."

Captain Lamb saluted his commanding officer, bowed, and stepped backwards into the darkness, disappearing into the shadows. Weaver took another drag from her cigarette and stared hard at the Asian girl in the photo. She was handing change to a customer in a book store, a familiar neutral expression on her face. Hard to believe a half-demon would be ringing up new age rubbish in a Black Apple Books.

But that's the point isn't it?

Assimilate.

Weaver snuffed her cigarette out in the ashtray on her desk.

"We'll see."

* * *

Rachel stared out the window and into the gray afternoon as thick raindrops snaked their way down the glass. The heat was out again and she had bundled up in a black UJC hoody and a wool blanket. She felt something brush against her leg and looked down to see her sister's cat, a large heterochromatic calico staring up at her. He meowed loudly and sat down at her feet.

"What?" She asked blankly.

Ziggy meowed again, slightly louder than before. Rachel sighed and closed the book she held in her hands with a snap as he meowed again.

"Alright, alright!" She snapped. "I'm going!"

She rose from her chair and took the three steps it took to cross the living room of her small apartment and entered the kitchen. She opened a cabinet, took out a can of cat food and pulled the lid off as the cat rushed past her legs and sat down in front of his bowl by the fridge. Rachel's frown intensified as the cat looked into her eyes and let out a long pitiful mew of hunger. After a few rough shakes the loaf of cat food fell out of the can and into the bowl with a wet plop.

"Happy now?" She scowled.

She returned to her chair in the living room with an agitated sigh and resumed pensively staring out the window quietly lost in her thoughts, her book abandoned on the coffee table. A year had passed since the dissolution of the original Teen Titans and Rachel; also known by Raven by those closest to her, still had not adjusted to life as a civilian. Raven had never been the type to contemplate her future in any meaningful way. All her life she lived in fear of her father's wrath, the Demon King Trigon. That she would fulfil her role in a prophecy that would set the entire universe ablaze in hellfire but thanks to her friends the Teen Titans Robin, Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy, her father was defeated never to threaten her or anyone else on Earth again. Raven cherished her new freedom and for a time, fooled herself into believing that it would last forever. Fighting evil and saving the day with those she loved the most.

But fate can be a fickle thing and as it turns out had other things in mind for the young girl. It started with Starfire being called home to Tamaran to help the people of her home world repel alien invaders. The Titans offered their assistance of course but Starfire told them to stay on Earth. Tamaran needs its princess she had said. Not the Teen Titans. After her departure the rest of the group began to fall away one by one which seems only fitting since it was the young alien princess that brought them together in the first place. Not long after Starfire's departure Robin himself left the Teen Titans after they tracked a crime boss named Block Buster to his lair in the city of Bludhaven. The Titans managed to defeat the super-powered kingpin but in the end, Robin decided to stay. Bludhaven had no resident super-hero and was overrun with organized crime and a corrupt police force, not unlike its sister city Gotham before the caped crusader returned after his years abroad. Adopting the name of Nightwing, Dick Grayson set up shop in Bludhaven and the remaining Titans returned to Jump City without their leader. The trio continued on for a time until STAR labs opened a new branch in Jump City accompanied by not only a team of scientists but a small army of highly trained high tech soldiers dubbed the "STAR Corps" as well. After the STAR Corps stopped Doctor Light from robbing a bank in record time, it became clear that for the first time in years, Jump City no longer had any need for their adolescent super heroes.

But such is life. As one door closes another one opens and Cyborg was approached by the Justice League to join them as a full time member. Unfortunately, Beast Boy and Raven were not to accompany their longtime friend. Beast Boy, though as capable a super hero as any, was deemed "too immature" to be considered for initiation into the League at the time and Raven's past returned to haunt her again when she was denied acceptance into the League due to her demonic heritage. Her demon blood made her unpredictable they had said. Most of them, Wonder Woman especially, did not trust her which was a slap in the face for the young half-demon. Of course her friends defended her, saying that if not for her they never would have stopped Trigon in the first place.

"Thanks for helping with that by the way!" Beast Boy had said.

So the seven founding members of the League; Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, The Green Lantern, The Martian Man Hunter and Hawkgirl called for a vote. After much deliberation they came to their decision. Raven would not be permitted to join the Justice League at this time. Cyborg threatened to leave but Raven told him that it was okay. That he shouldn't give up his dream of "playing in the big leagues" as he had called it because of her. It was time for Cyborg to move on. Beast Boy and Raven returned to Jump City for a spell, spending their days bored out of their minds in Titan's Tower, occasionally helping out their fellow Titans but eventually Beast Boy rejoined the Doom Patrol as a full member and Raven was left alone but that too changed.

The door of her apartment opened abruptly and slammed shut jerking the half-demon from her thoughts. Rachel turned her head and saw her "sibling" Nicole standing by the door. She was dressed for the beach, wearing a black and pink polka dot bikini and sand shoes and she was thoroughly soaked from head to toe from the rain outside. Her short black hair clung wetly to her scalp and she was frowning fiercely.

Without saying a word to Rachel she crossed the living room, walked down the short hallway to her bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her. She returned a few minutes later in pair of jeans and a black and white stripped long sleeved shirt toweling off her damp hair. She dropped down on the couch across from Rachel's armchair still fuming.

"Not a fan of the rain?" Rachel asked turning her gaze back to the window.

"Not when I had a beach day with Wally planned!" Nicole snapped aggressively. "But oh wait! It's ok since he had to cancel at the last minute anyway because some dick with an ice gun was shooting up a bank or something in Central City!"

She tossed her towel away in disgust and pointed a finger at her head.

"Can you do something about this?" She asked. "I should be safe behind the walls of my own home!"

Annoyed, Rachel waved her hand in front of Nicole and the girl's form changed in an instant. She grew thinner and taller, her black hair turned pink and grew up and out into a horseshoe shape, her pale skin turned light gray and her once brown eyes were now pink with cat-like slits for pupils. The former villainess Jinx stretched and popped her neck.

"That's better." She said with a sigh as she reclined on the couch.

Licking his chops, Ziggy waddled into the living room and hopped onto Jinx's lap. She began stroking his back and he purred contentedly as she picked up the remote to the TV and began channel surfing.

"Aren't you going to strip down too?" Jinx asked stopping on a rerun of Gotham Ink. "Or have you grown so attached to Rachel that Raven has flown the coop?"

"I have plans tonight and glamour is a little more complicated than applying makeup." Rachel replied.

"Ugh." Jinx said making a face. "You're still doing that poetry thing? Don't you have anything better to do on a Friday night than listen to a bunch of whiny teenagers talk about how cool black is?"

"Like go to the beach?" Raven asked tonelessly.

"Ha ha." Jinx said as she rose from the sofa and walked into the kitchen.

A few months after Beast Boy left for the Doom Patrol a lonely Raven met Jinx by chance at a cafe. The "reformed" villainess had about as much luck as Raven in terms of signing on with a new group of crime fighters given her own criminal background and the two began spending most of their free time together, eventually using their contacts to procure new identities for themselves and starting over in Jump City as Rachel and Nicole Roth. They took on part time jobs, Raven a clerk in a bookstore and Jinx a waitress at a coffee shop next to said bookstore, and attended college in the city. Though the two had little real love for each other both were incapable of supporting themselves independently, Jinx was technically required by the Justice League to have someone looking out for her since she's a convicted felon and Raven just wanted someone to talk to. It wasn't a perfect arraignment but they made due with what they had and got by. The apartment they shared was small, leaky and the two girls butted heads constantly. Jinx was as stubborn as a mule and could be a real witch when she wanted to but she meant it when she said her days of villainy were behind her but sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same and even though Raven told her constantly that using their powers was a bad idea since they were both incognito, Jinx couldn't resist screwing with people who pissed her off. Nothing lethal of course but if you happen to sit down in a chair and it falls apart?

Jinxed.

Coffee cup tips over and ruins your laptop with your term paper?

Jinxed.

Milk in your tea suddenly turned sour?

Jinxed.

Tip your waitresses folks.

She was a little rough around the edges but she was also the only friend Raven had at the moment which is why with a defeated sigh Raven made a halfhearted attempt to bond with her roommate.

"Why don't you come with me tonight?" She asked. "The coffee isn't bad and it's better than sitting here waiting for the power to go out."

At the mere mention of the possibility the lights above flickered slightly. Jinx exited the kitchen with a sigh of disgust and a can of diet soder.

"Any cute guys there?" She asked taking a sip. "Ones that don't wear mascara?"

"Some." Raven said. Though she felt her face heating up slightly she kept her expression neutral. "There's a guy there that kind of looks like a chubby Kurt Cobain."

"Oh la la." Jinx said with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Wait, how chubby is chubby?"

"Chubby by Jump City's standards."

"That's not bad." Jinx said thoughtfully trying to a form a mental image.

"Why do you care anyway?" Raven asked. "I thought you and Wally were a thing."

"So did I." Jinx said darkly. "But we almost never get to see each other and when we make plans he ends up blowing me off. So tonight I'm not going to worry about Nicole and Wally or Kid Flash."

She downed her soder and held out her arms.

"Glamour me up!"

* * *

"Darkness." The Goth Kid said from the stage.

He was sitting on a wooden stool. The stage in the café was bathed in a somber blue light. In one hand he held a black composition notebook and a microphone in the other.

"Suffocating darkness. Pulling me into the abyss the cold hands of fate care little for my struggles, my cries of protest. I surrender. I sink."

"Oh… my god." Nicole muttered behind her hand.

"Shut up." Rachel hissed.

"I thought you said this was a poetry thing." Nicole whispered.

"It is."

"He's not rhyming! He's just… talking!"

"Poems don't have to rhyme."

"What are you talking about?" Nicole whispered. "That's what makes it a POEM! He's playing tennis without a net, what's the point? And I was told there would be a fat Kurt."

"Derek's sick."

The audience began to snap their fingers and the Goth kid took his leave from the stage, taking a seat at Rachel and Nicole's table.

"Hey Rach." He said tonelessly. "Glad you could come out tonight."

"Nice reading Vile." Rachel said giving him a slight nod.

"Yeah I really liked the part about darkness." Nicole said rolling her eyes.

"Thanks." Vile said not detecting the sarcasm.

The snapping ceased and the owner of the coffee shop Uri Wraith took the stage. He was a very tall and very thin man of Russian and Cuban ancestry with short black hair and an expertly trimmed goatee. Typically, he spoke with a voice as smooth as black velvet but tonight he didn't seem to be in character. He adjusted the mic to accommodate his height and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Good evening everyone, uh, as you know it's been a week since Nightingale was last seen. She still hasn't shown up anywhere and her parents are worried sick about her so if any of you known where she might be, please let them know. Up next we have-"

"Wait Marianne is missing?" Rachel asked Vile.

"Yeah you didn't hear?" Vile asked. "She didn't show up last week and her dad was in here the other day asking if anyone's seen here."

"Are you two not together anymore?"

"No." Vile said. "She dumped me like a week ago. Why?" He asked with a hopeful edge to his voice.

"It's not like her to just disappear like this." Rachel said.

"She runs off all the time." Vile said with a shrug. "She gets into it with her folks and takes off for a week or two."

"Yeah but she never misses a poetry night." Rachel argued. "And she always stays at a friend's house but no one here has heard from her?"

"I'm sure she's fine." Vile said impassively as he turned back to the stage.

"Geez." Nicole frowned folding her arms across her chest. "What a sweet heart."

The night carried on. One by one readers took the stage and Nicole managed to hold her catty comments to herself save for the truly terrible poets. At closing time everyone said their goodbyes and the two girls exited the café and stepped out into the cool night air.

"Well that was about as fun as I thought it would be." Nicole said stretching. "Now let's go do something REALLY fun."

"It's late. We should get back." Rachel said.

"Come on!" Nicole whined reminding Rachel of Ziggy begging for food. "It's barely midnight. Let's go check out that new club that opened up downtown. One of the bouncers came by the coffee shop the other day and gave me his card and told me to come by so we totally have an in."

"I don't think so." Rachel said with a frown.

"Come on Rae!" Nicole said putting her hands on her hips. "When's the last time you did anything besides drink your gross tea and brood? We did your dumb thing so let's go do mine."

"I'm not exactly the "clubbing" type _Nicole_." Rachel said beginning to lose her patience.

"No, Raven isn't the clubbing type." Nicole said. "Rachel gets dragged out by her sister to go dancing and mess with frat boys."

"I said no!" Rachel snapped. "Do what you want! I'm going home."

She turned and started down the street. Nicole sighed causing Rachel to pause.

"Look…" Nicole said awkwardly. "I'm trying to meet you halfway here okay? I know we aren't exactly in each other's fan club but… your friends are gone. Mine are gone. Neither of us has anywhere else to go so… I don't know. Whatever."

Rachel stopped and sighed in resignation. She turned her head and gave her "little sister" an annoyed glare.

"I'm not going to dance." She said flatly.

Nicole flashed her "big sis" her usual Cheshire grin and winked at her.

* * *

The two girls got out of their cab and stepped onto the sidewalk outside of the club and Raven sighed in irritation at the sight of the line of people waiting to get inside. The line started at the front door, stretched down the length of the sidewalk and curved around behind the building, a building Raven was already somewhat familiar with. The half demon had been here a few years ago with her friends on a night out with Starfire's sister Blackfire although what charm the dilapidated building had had been stripped away like flesh from a corpse. The building had been repainted, new lights had been fixed to the walls outside and a blindingly bright neon green sign in the shape of a stylized V had been placed on the roof. When it was announced that Star City's most popular night club Verdant was finally opening a location on the west coast, it was a pretty big deal although for the life of her Raven couldn't see the appeal. Stand in line for four hours to get into a refurbished warehouse full of drunk, over-privileged college kids only to be turned away by some beef bus bouncer with a middle school education?

 _"Pointless."_ She thought pulling up the hood of her jacket.

"Awesome! He's working tonight." Nicole said with a wide smile. "Come on!"

Raven frowned and followed Nicole who was practically skipping past the line of people as they made their way to the front of the line. She waved to a tall square jawed bouncer who smiled back at her and waved them over.

"Hey." He said with a sly grin. "I was hoping I'd see you here tonight."

Nicole blushed and giggled while Rachel rolled her eyes.

 _"Laying it on kind of thick Jinx."_ Rachel thought.

"Hey Mike! This is my big sister Rachel. We were bored so we thought we'd come check the place out. Can we come inside?"

"Anything you want." He said removing the green velvet rope from the stanchion. "Maybe I'll see you later?"

"Maybe." Nicole said giving him a wink and brushing her hand against his shoulder as they walked past.

The two walked down a dark hallway and could hear the faint thumping of bass heavy dance music playing.

"You're not really going to try and… hook up with that guy are you?" Rachel asked.

"Hell no." Nicole scoffed.

She pushed open a set of padded double doors and the two girls stepped out onto the main dance floor of Verdant. The club was filled with attractive twenty something year olds dancing to loud music and flashing lights that came from the floor and ceiling.

"Now this is more like it." Nicole said with a grin.

"Pointless." Rachel grumbled.

"Come on sour puss." Nicole said practically dragging Rachel to the bar. "Let's get a drink."

They arrived at the bar and Nicole began trying to wave the bar tender over.

"Are you nuts?" Rachel had to practically yell over the thumping music. "She's going to card you."

"Yeah but that's where you come in." Nicole said pulling out her ID and holding it out to Rachel. "Do your magic glamour thing."

"I'm not doing that." Rachel said angrily.

"Come on!" Nicole said. "What difference does a few years make anyway? Please? Just one little drink?"

She stuck out her lower lip and pouted. Rachel growled and felt a vein pop in her head.

"Fine." She said through gritted teeth.

Nicole's ID glowed faintly and Nicole grinned at Rachel as she handed it over to the bartender.

"What can I get you?" She asked returning the card.

"I would like an Evil Stepsister." Nicole said flashing her sister an infuriating grin.

"And for you?"

"Water." Rachel said flatly.

"Party pooper." Nichole said as the bartender went to fix their drinks.

The bartender returned a few minutes later and as she handed the drinks to the girls she leaned in so that Nicole could hear her over the thumping music.

"Hey I have to ask, what kind of moisturizer do you use?"

"What?"

"It's just that you look so young! I'm totally jealous!"

She went to go take another drink order and Nicole looked down at her ID. The date of birth now read 1980.

"You made me thirty five?!" Nicole hissed.

"What difference do a few years make?" Rachel asked sipping her water and walking away to find a place to sit.

Rachel took a seat on a long green couch and sighed, doing her best to tune out the distracting music and flashing lights while Nicole tore up the dance floor.

 _"I'll give her an hour. Then we're out of here."_ Rachel thought.

And so she sat there, waiting for what felt like an hour but when she checked the time on her phone, merely fifteen minutes had passed. She groaned, sank into her chair, pulled her book out of the pocket of her jacket and tried to read, that is until the first drunk guy wandered over to her and tried to pick her up.

"Hey there baby." He said. "Wanna take a look at MY hardcover?"

"Not interested."

"Come on, I just googled like, sixteen pickup lines involving books." He said sitting down next to her. "If I stroke your spine, would you open up for me?"

Rachel looked up from her book and glared at the guy, who though slightly drunk, was still sober enough to see murder sitting less than two feet away from him, and grinned awkwardly before rising and backing away. Rachel returned to her book. Sometime later another guy sat down on the couch. Annoyed, Raven looked up ready to tell him to back off but saw that he was sitting a respectable distance away from her, not right next to her like the last Casanova that tried to pick her up. He was about her age, tall and kind of gangly, wearing a white JCU hoody and dark blue jeans. He held a bottle of water in one hand and was typing a message on his phone with the other. He let out a bored sigh, pocketed his phone and reclined back in the couch. Rachel started to return to her book but the guy said something.

"What?"

"I said which one is yours." He repeated a little louder, motioning to the dance floor. "You're sitting here, alone, reading a book in what I would have thought to be impossible reading conditions so I just sort of assumed you're probably here against your will, keeping an eye on an irresponsible friend. Kind of like a parent keeping an eye on their kid at a park, you know?"

"How observant." Rachel said dully.

"Well, I am a Criminal Justice major." He laughed. "I'm also a Tommy."

"Rachel." She replied. "You go to JCU?"

"Ah! Another detective." He smiled at her.

Rachel felt herself return the smile and the two began to kill time by talking about school, their classmates, and mutual interests. Tommy was a nice guy; funny but not annoying, smart but not geeky. Rachel actually found herself having a good time, so much so she didn't realize that two hours had passed since he sat down.

"It's getting late." She said standing up. "My sister and I have class tomorrow."

"Oh shit!" He said checking his phone. "Damn it! Uh…"

He stood up next to her and scanned the crowd looking for his friend. He pointed him out to Rachel, a tall jock type grinding against a blonde girl in a red dress, and clicked his tongue.

"Yeah, I'm not getting in between that." He said.

Rachel snorted, disappeared in the crowd and reappeared a moment later with a sweaty and tipsy Nicole in tow.

"No, not yet!" Nicole protested. "This is my favorite song!"

Rachel rolled her eyes and the three exited the club.

"Did you guys drive?" He asked as Nicole stretched as high as she could and yawned.

"No, we took a cab. You?" Rachel asked.

"No." He said frowning. "We'll never get a cab at this hour and the buses have stopped."

"Great." Rachel sighed. "I guess we're walking."

"Let me walk with you." Tommy offered. "You shouldn't be walking home alone with a drunk girl on your shoulder."

"Thanks." Rachel said, not voicing the fact that if someone did try to rob them they would have to be the unluckiest person in the whole city.

The three started down the street, Tommy chuckling as Nicole continued to twirl and dance drunkenly as she hummed to herself.

"How many drinks did you have?" Rachel asked with a frown.

"Just the one!" Nicole said with a giggle. "Pinky swear!"

"Not surprising." Tommy smirked. "She looks like she weighs ninety pounds soaking wet."

"Look who's talking, scarecrow!"

"Won't your friend be mad at you for leaving him behind?" Rachel asked.

"Peter? Nah, he dragged me along to be his wingman but he seemed to be doing alright on his own. Besides, I'd spend the rest of the night worrying if I let you two walk home alone."

"You could check on us if you got her number!" Nicole called from ahead of them.

Rachel's eyes flashed red and she blushed. Tommy laughed and didn't press the issue.

Across the street, a pair of men inside of a white van watched them pass. One wore a headset connected to a remote listening device.

"- if you got her number!" The thin girl called.

"This is taking too long." He muttered to the driver. "We've been following them all night."

He removed his headset and tossed it on the dashboard of the van.

"What are you doing?" The driver asked as his passenger opened the glove box.

"A more direct approach." He said taking out a handgun.

He got out of the car, tucked the handgun away behind his waistband and disappeared into an ally across the street. The driver sighed, pulled a rosary out from under his shirt and whispered a short prayer.

"Nostra potestate divinitus venit."

"Yeah so Pete put in like, two tablespoons of baking powder, not teaspoons."

"Wow." Rachel scoffed.

"Yeah. Pan overflowed, caught on fire, and nearly burned the classroom down." Tommy laughed. "Mrs. Jones was PISSED!"

Ahead of them a hooded figure stepped out of an alleyway. Nicole walked right into him and he shoved her to the ground. Time seemed to slow down. Rachel watched Nicole fall, her head hitting a mailbox and knocking her unconscious. Rachel saw the man's scowl, the only part of his face that wasn't obscured by his hood. She saw the glint of metal as he drew his handgun and stuck the barrel in Tommy's face. Tommy paled and he held up his hands.

"W-whoa." He said.

"Give me your wallet!" The man growled.

"Okay." Tommy said gently, lowering his hand towards his back pocket. "Okay, just be cool."

He took out his wallet and tossed it to the thief, who caught it and scowled at Rachel before turning the gun on her.

"No purse?" He asked.

"I don't carry cash." She said darkly.

 _"Just go away."_ She thought. _"Just leave!"_

He growled and cocked the hammer of his gun.

"Give me that necklace!"

Her hand clenched the silver T she wore on a silver chain around her neck, a gift from Beast-Boy before he left for the Doom Patrol.

"No!"

"Rachel, just give him the-"

The thief pistol whipped Tommy and knocked him to the ground. Rachel's eyes flashed red and she let out a roar of anger.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A blast of black energy erupted from her hand, striking the assailant in the chest and sending him flying back. He slammed into a street light and slumped to the ground with a groan of pain. There was a metallic groan and the streetlight glowed black as it began to wrap itself around him like a snake enveloping its prey. The anger passed and Rachel's eyes returned to normal. A shiver of horror ran down her spine.

"Holy shit!" Tommy exclaimed behind her.

"T-Tommy I-"

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in her neck. She let out a surprised gasp as she felt her body go numb. Her legs gave out from underneath her and she began to fall, only to be caught and gently lowered to the ground. Tommy smirked down at her as he brushed a lock of hair from her face and touched the blue tooth headset in his ear.

"Identity confirmed."

Raven groaned as her world went black.


	2. Genesis- Seeing Red

Genesis- Part Two

 **The following is a work of fiction created by a fan with no legal rights to Teen Titans or DC comics. All characters featured in this story are property of their respective owners save for Original Characters (OCs) which are my own creation and not featured in any official works. Some of the vampires in this story are loosely based off the vampires featured in the works of Darren Shan though this isn't a crossover with** _ **The Saga of Darren Shan**_ **written by aforementioned author. All characters in this story are fictitious and any resemblance to people living, dead or any variation of the two is coincidental.**

Dust City, California

4:47 AM

The young girl ran down the street panting for breath and clutching a bleeding wound on her side. The only sounds that could be heard in the cool early morning air were the sounds of her labored breath and her bare footsteps slapping on the sidewalk. She knew he was behind her but she didn't risk a look to check the distance. All she cared about was getting away.

The girl rounded a corner and darted into an alleyway, cowering behind a grimy dumpster. With a pained breath she reached into the wound on her side and pulled the bullet out with a wince. She dropped it to the ground a spotted a shattered vanity mirror leaning against the alley wall. With shaking hands the girl picked up a piece of broken mirror and angled it so she could see around the corner. Reflected in the mirror was a dark figure standing underneath a flickering streetlight. He was tall, just over six feet, wearing a black suit and a black coat that reached his knees and in his right hand he held a large handgun. His face was obscured by shadows but she could see his red eyes glowing in the darkness like smoldering embers, scanning the alleyway for any signs of movement. After several nerve wracking minutes the figure departed, his footsteps echoing on the sidewalk as he took his leave. The girl shakily rose to her feet and began to slowly back away when she bumped into what felt like a brick wall. She spun around to see the towering figure of the man standing over her. She started to scream but his hand shot out and gripped her throat cutting her off. He slammed her into the dumpster with enough force to dent the metal and she felt his sharp nails drive into her throat.

"Where are they?" He growled.

The girl opened her eyes. Only a second ago they were as blue as summer skies but now they were red and feral. Her once rosy skin was now the color of bleached bone. She opened her mouth impossibly wide and revealed a set of razor sharp shark-like teeth. She then let out a guttural roar of anger and snapped her teeth at her captor like a cornered animal. He snarled at her and punched her in the face, knocking several of her teeth to ground with a clatter.

"Where?!" He roared.

The vampiress grinned widely, her missing fangs already starting to regrow.

"Kin slayer." She hissed.

An ear piece in the man's ear crackled.

"Hey, uh Kelsa?" A voice said in his ear. "We got a less than two hours till sun up."

Atop a building across the street, a young boy no older than thirteen looked through the scope of his tranquilizer rifle and watched as his master held the vampire at his mercy. Kelsa looked down at the snarling vampire and frowned.

"Have it your way then." He muttered.

His lips curled back in a sneer, revealing his own pair of razor sharp fangs. The vampiress shrieked and struggled in protest but her attempts to escape were in vain, her captor's lean frame belying his supernatural strength. With his free hand he bent her head back with a snap and sank his fangs into her throat. He drank deeply, the sickly sweet ambrosia that was her life's blood surging into his mouth and down his throat with an unnatural speed.

The boy groaned and looked away from the scope of his rifle with a grimace. He muted his headset so he wouldn't have to hear the vampiress' cries of anguish, counted to ten and turned it back on.

"You want give me a heads up before you do that?" He asked.

Down in the alleyway the vampire's corpse crumbled to black ash in Kelsa's hands removing any trace of her existence apart from a black smudge on the dumpster.

"One would think you would be used to it by now Spencer." Kelsa said calmly rubbing the ash from his hands.

"Yeah, one would think." Spencer muttered in agreement. "Still super gross…"

"Shut up." Kelsa said. "I need to concentrate."

He took a deep breath as the familiar warmth of blood spread through his body like fine brandy. His gaze turned towards the sky as the blood ran into his eyes and his vision turned red. Memories flashed before his eyes and he saw life as she had seen it. Her birth into this mortal coil and her chaotic journey through life up until it was cut short when one of the kindred welcomed her into the ranks of the undead with his dark embrace. He saw all the lives she had claimed in his name, their life force being drained from them to fuel the fire that was her own ravenous hunger. He saw her struggling under his grip as he tore into her throat and ended that hunger forever. Her final thoughts as her body crumbled to dust were of her mother, though it had been so long now she no longer remembered her face.

"What is it?" Spencer asked. "What did you see?"

"There are twelve of them." Kelsa said watching the last few flecks of ashes fall from his hands. "Including the Master."

"Twelve?!" Spencer asked nervously. "We've never hunted that many at once before… Crap… okay, I'm coming down. We can head back to the hotel. We can call John or Peter and get a fresh start at dusk."

"No." Kelsa said firmly. "They'll be waiting for her to return and when she doesn't they'll be in the wind. This ends tonight."

"Do we have time?" Spencer asked. "Dawn's not that far off."

"I know more about dawns than you do boy." Kelsa said darkly. "Get your gear."

"Geez, fine." Spencer muttered.

He stuffed his rifle into a duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"When your Gerard Way lookin' butt bursts into flames don't come crying to me…" He muttered as he climbed down the fire escape.

"I heard that."

Spencer jogged out into the middle of the street and grinned awkwardly at a frowning Kelsa.

"Who is Gerard Way?" The vampire asked.

Spencer sighed. Though his master was somewhat familiar with modern technology, most pop culture references went right over his head.

"He's a singer." Spencer replied. "I was saying that, in that suit, you kind of look like him from the revenge era just, you know… slightly less covered in the blood of your enemies, don't worry about it."

"I won't." Kelsa replied still frowning. "Now, if you're quite finished?"

"Lead the way old man." Spencer said with a shrug.

Even though Kelsa didn't look a day over twenty five, he always made Spencer think of a grouchy old man that didn't take pleasure in anything other than hunting down the forces of darkness. Standing next to each other the two could pass as brothers, which was the story they used when traveling. Both had dark hair they kept short, both were pale from lack of sunlight and both had similar green eyes although Spencer's lacked the nocturnal glow that Kelsa's had.

"Can I drive?" Spencer asked hopefully as they made their way down the street.

"No."

It was a beautiful night. The full moon hung lazily in starry sky watching over the two like the eye of some unspeakable Lovecraftian horror as the vampire master and his assistant made their way through the forest.

"Twelve…" Spencer whispered under his breath. "The most we've ever seen shacking up together at once was only, what? Five? Six?"

"Their master has been replenishing his numbers." Kelsa said. "He plans on taking back a piece of his territory that was taken by another vampire."

"So wait, there's another, stronger vamp out there that drove him out?" Spencer asked halting to a stop.

"There's always another stronger vamp out there." Kelsa replied without breaking pace.

Spencer nervously looked around the forest as though that particular vampire in question or even Dracula himself was lurking in the shadows. He cursed under his breath and jogged to keep up with his master's long stride.

"So, what then?" Spencer asked. "Gank this SOB, you drain him and find out where the other vampire is and we go after him?"

"Observant as always." Kelsa said dryly.

Spencer scoffed.

"Ever consider a new line of work?" He asked. "Maybe a comedian since, you know, you're so darn funny."

Eventually they arrived. The abandoned brothel was nestled in the woods outside of town and had been reclaimed by nature some time ago. A tree had fallen into a part of the roof and an abandoned pickup truck was almost completely overgrown by weeds. The two vampire hunters took cover behind the truck and Spencer unzipped his duffel bag.

"Two inside keeping watch." Kelsa said. "The others will be in the basement below."

"What do you need?" Spencer asked rummaging around his bag.

"Give me the Desert Eagle and the sawed off." Kelsa said clipping a belt of stakes around his waist. "We should be far enough out that the gunshots will go unnoticed."

"What about the spike gun?" Spencer asked holding up his latest toy.

"Leave it."

"You promised you'd try it out!" Spencer huffed shaking the multi-barreled monstrosity in front of Kelsa's face. "I make the toys, you drop the fangs. That was the deal!"

"Fine!" Kelsa hissed taking the bulky pistol-like weapon. "Give me the Eagle, a few flasks of holy water and a flasher."

"What do you want me to do?" Spencer asked.

"Stay right here and keep your rifle trained on the house. If any of them try to escape, drop'em." Kelsa said screwing a silencer to the barrel of his pistol. "And remember to aim for their heart."

"Right." Spencer nodded. He loaded his rifle and took a shaky breath to steady his nerves. "All right, ready when-

He looked over and saw that Kelsa was already gone.

"Crap."

Kelsa ascended the steps of the brothel and kicked the door open without a moment's hesitation, catching the two vampires inside off guard.

 _Hit zem fast. Hit zem 'ard._ His master's voice echoed in his ears.

They were sitting on a rotting couch, one with a severed arm half way up to his mouth like a sandwich, his stomach bloated and purple from over indulging his thirst. The other was lean with a long nose and playing with a very old Rubik's Cube. They looked up at him with wide red eyes, too stunned by his sudden presence to move.

 _Show zem no mercy for zey vill have none for you my child._

Even with the suppressor attached, the gunshots from the massive .50 caliber handgun echoed throughout the dingy parlor. The couch the vampires had been sitting on flipped backwards and sent two clouds of ash into the air. The severed arm and Rubik's Cube fell to the floor with a wet thud and a clatter.

"They'll have heard that." Kelsa thought, his eyes turning to the door under the stairs that led to the basement.

Kelsa stepped back outside and took cover behind the wall as the door to the basement burst open and three more vampires ran into the room. Kelsa withdrew the UV bomb from his pocket, pressed the button and tossed it into the parlor. The UV bomb popped open and an ultraviolet strobe light began to flicker, briefly illuminating the entire bottom floor of the house and causing the vampires to burst into flames. They shrieked and staggered around the room in terror. One immediately ran out the door, past Kelsa and down the steps. Spencer took aim with his rifle and fired. A dart loaded with Silver Nitrate pierced the vampire's heart and the creature fell to his knees before crumbing to a pile of ash.

"Nice." He said quickly loading another dart.

Kelsa stepped back into the doorway and put the remaining vampire's out of their misery with two quick shots. Footsteps thundered down the stairs from above. A vampire jumped off of the stairs and lunged at Kelsa, his arms outstretched and his teeth barred. Kelsa stepped out of the way, the vampire slammed into the wall with a bang and Kelsa shoved a stake through his back and into his heart.

"You increased the light's intensity." Kelsa commented as he loaded a fresh mag into his pistol.

"Yeah but it burns the battery a lot quicker." Spencer replied. "Flashes for about three seconds and then its fried."

"Does the trick."

"Yeah it does!" Spencer said grinning at his achievement.

"I'm heading downstairs. I might lose your signal. Maintain your position and await my command."

"Yes master." Spencer said in an Igor like voice.

Kelsa scoffed and drew another stake from his belt, holding it underneath the barrel of his pistol as he descended the staircase. The basement filled with empty boxes and garbage and smelled of mold and freshly moved earth but no signs of the rest of the pack. Keeping his weapons raised Kelsa moved to the back of the room where an old door was leaning against the wall. He quietly moved the door out of the way and saw that a section of the wall had been torn away and the earth had been moved to form a low narrow tunnel, much too low for him to simply crouch and maneuver through. Kelsa holstered his weapons and lied down on his stomach.

"This is probably a bad idea." He muttered as he crawled into the tunnel.

It took several minutes of wriggling and squirming but the vampire was finally able to make his way through the tunnel until he dropped down into another chamber even deeper underground than the basement. There were no lights to speak of but the darkness held no secrets from the vampire. Wood from the second floor of the brothel had been stripped away to act as support beams along the walls and ceiling and the ground was littered with coffins.

Empty coffins.

"Kin sssslayer…" A voice hissed from above.

Kelsa looked up to see the rest of the vampires clinging to the ceiling of the chamber like a nest of spiders, all glaring down at him with glowing red eyes.

"Kill him." A voice said from somewhere in the darkness.

The vampires let out a blood curdling shriek and immediately swarmed him like a storm of fangs and claws. Kelsa dropped down, rolled out of the way, and hurled a flask of holy water. He fired two shots from his pistol. Each round hit its mark and two vampires crumbled to ash. Another vampire landed on all fours behind him, leapt onto his back and bit into his shoulder, her razor sharp fangs tearing though the fabric of his clothes and into his flesh. He felt the claws of her hand dig into his wrist and his gun dropped to the ground. Kelsa gritted his teeth, bent his knees and threw himself back, soaring across the chamber, slamming her into the wall and releasing her grip on him. He spun around and drove a stake into her heart before leaping out of the way of a trio of vampires, their attack driving him into a corner. One of them picked up a coffin like it was a laundry basket and hurled it at him. Kelsa cursed, leapt through the air and smashed his way through it, landing on top of the vampire that had thrown it. With a roar he rammed his hand into the vampire's chest and gripped its beating heart in his hand, crushing it and the vampire to dust.

One of the remaining vampires threw a punch, knocking Kelsa through the air and into the wall of the cave. He felt his head crack against a wooden support beam and stars swam across his vision. The vampires shrieked and lunged at Kelsa who fumbled for the spike gun. Half expecting the thing to explode in his hand he pulled the trigger. The first and nearest vampire crumbled to ash and the second one fell to the ground shrieking and clutching the stake in its eye socket. Kelsa scoffed and his hand fell limply to his side.

" _I've been wrong before."_ He thought.

He started to rise to his feet when suddenly a pair of arms tore out of the earth behind him and enveloped him. The two vampires began to rapidly roll all over the ground and walls of the chamber, biting and tearing at each other like a pair of wolves. They were on the ceiling when Kelsa finally got the upper hand, tearing out the vampire's throat with his teeth before throwing it to the ground where it landed on the surviving vampire below. Kelsa dropped down on top of them and drove a stake through both of them in a single blow. Panting, Kelsa picked up his gun and as he rose to his feet. He heard slow, sarcastic clapping from the darkness.

"Kelsa Ern." A dark voice said.

The master vampire was leaning against a coffin that stood up against the wall. Unlike his children, the vampire lord was handsome with strong dark features and a roguish smile. He pushed himself off the wall and approached Kelsa, smirking at his bleeding wounds.

"Kelsa Kinslayer." He said. "Kelsa, the Cannibal. The nocturnal hunter. The monster that preys on monsters, that strikes fear into the hearts of creatures more wicked then men. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time but I must say I'm a little underwhelmed. I mean guns? Really? One might be tempted to think that you're overcompensating for something."

"What's the point of immortality if you don't get with the times?" Kelsa asked. His breathing was ragged and he could feel blood flowing freely from his wounds.

The vampire scoffed and smiled.

"True, but we both know that your kind is far from immortal Kinslayer." The vampire said. "Tougher, faster, and stronger than any human, sure, but that isn't saying much. Do me a courtesy and tell me, why do you do it? Why wage this war against us, your blood cousins? Living or not, to the humans you are just another monster. A creature they'd kill just as soon as they would kill me. A wolf cannot protect the herd of sheep he must devour to survive. Join with me. I will spare your life and the life of your familiar. There's no need for any more bloodshed."

"Where's the fun in that?" Kelsa replied darkly.

The vampire scoffed.

"Very well. Have it your way then."

His eyes glowed red as he began to transform into his true form. His clothes stretched and ripped as the handsome man was replaced with a bat like creature that looked like it crawled out from the depths of hell. He roared in fury and lunged at Kelsa who opened fire with his pistol. The first silver round tore through the bat's shoulder, causing him to hiss and snarl. Vampire or not, most things don't enjoy the feeling of a .50 caliber round tearing into their body. Instead of engaging Kelsa directly the bat began dodging his attacks and laughing in the darkness of the chamber, striking in the few seconds it took for Kelsa to reload his gun.

" **You're a fool!"** The bat laughed raking his claws across Kelsa's back. **"You're weak Kinslayer, you and all your kind! When I've killed you I'll take your head and put it on a spike for all to see!"**

The bat landed on the ground across from Kelsa who was now bleeding profusely, his clothes in bloody tatters.

" **I'm just not sure what to do about your familiar…"** The bat said licking Kelsa's blood from a claw. **"Killing him would be as simple as snuffing out a candle but since you've destroyed my children, it seems I'll have to start over somewhere."**

Panting, Kelsa ejected the magazine from his pistol and slid a new one into place. The bat chuckled darkly.

" **You're a miserable shot."** He commented. **"At this rate you'll run out of ammunition long before I've even broken a sweat."**

"Actually," Kelsa croaked. "I was just waiting for you to get underneath the support beam."

The vampire growled and looked around. All of the support beams on the walls had been shot out and were creaking ominously. Kelsa fired his handgun at the support beam directly above the bat and the wood splintered. The bat's growl rose into a shriek of anger as tons of dirt and rocks came down on his head and buried him.

"Looks like I'm out of ammo." Kelsa said inspecting his smoking handgun. "Imagine that."

The mound of earth rumbled and the bat burst out from underneath it roaring in pain and anger. His crushed flesh and bones snapped back into place as he looked around the empty chamber searching for Kelsa. Suddenly, a pair of hands clutched his head from behind. Kelsa jerked his neck and the bat's head turned all the way around. His body fell to the ground and Kelsa fell to his knees on top of him. He drew a stake from his belt and held it above the bat's heart.

"It's not about saving them." Kelsa said. "It's about watching you bleed."

He brought the stake down in the vampire's heart with a crunch. The vampire shrieked and Kelsa wasted no time tearing into his throat with his fangs, draining him of his infernal blood. Kelsa watched the vampire crumble to ash beneath him before he rose to his feet and spat on its remains.

"I may be mortal but you're an ashtray, mate." He muttered.

Sunset.

Kelsa stirred from his slumber and sat up on the bed of the dingy, abandoned highway hotel that he and Spencer were squatting in just in time to see the last light of the day fade from outside the window. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair before rising out of bed and staggering into the bathroom. The light above the sink flickered feebly and hummed as he inspected his reflection in the grimy mirror. Most wounds had already healed but it took a lot of blood to do so. He'd need to feed again and soon. In the sink he could still see the handful of fangs that Spencer had pulled out of his shoulder. He turned the sink on and let the water carry the teeth down the drain before he splashed cold water on his face and entered the living room.

Spencer had done his duties as an assistant nicely. Dinner (or what might technically be considered breakfast) had been made, their bags and gear had been packed and a fresh set of clothes had been laid out for him. Second hand black jeans purchased from Goodwill and a dark red long sleeved shirt.

"Evening." Spencer said zipping up his suitcase. "I figured you'd want to head out soon. Vamps are dead and you finished off the blood we had in reserve. How you feeling?"

"I'll live." Kelsa said sitting down on the couch as Spencer spooned stew from a pot on top of a hot plate into a bowl. "Any messages?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded fixing his own bowl. "Some guy named Yuri in Jump City called."

Kelsa sighed as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"What did he want?"

"Didn't go into specifics." Spencer said. "Just said that he was cashing in a favor."

Kelsa looked up from his stew and saw that Spencer was twirling his thumbs and trying to look nonchalant.

"What?" Kelsa asked.

"Well uh… Jump City… It's only a couple of hours away. Gonna go see what's up?" Spencer asked casually.

"I suppose." Kelsa said scratching his head. "Yuri usually tries to keep his distance from our line of work. If he's cashing in a favor it must be important."

Spencer nodded. Kelsa took another bite of stew, another sip of tea. He looked at Spencer who was still staring at him.

"What?" He asked again, slightly annoyed.

"Well… as long as we're there…" Spencer shrugged.

He jumped to his feet and jammed his tablet in Kelsa's face.

"Can we go?" He exclaimed. "Please please please?!"

Kelsa shoved him back into his seat with a growl.

"The hell are you on about?" He asked. "Go where?"

Spencer passed the tablet to him.

"The Teen Titans Museum!" Spencer said. "They just opened it like a month and a half ago!"

Kelsa frowned and looked down at the tablet's screen. It was a webpage advertising a museum devoted to a group of teenaged superheroes that had been based out of Jump City. The museum was a tower shaped like a giant T.

"It's their actual base!" Spencer gushed. "The city remodeled it into a museum after the Titan's disbanded and all proceeds go to charity. It has a gift shop on the ground floor and even has the titan's rogue gallery exhibit! Can we PLEASE go!? I've been working really hard lately and I never ask you for anything and I've been wanting to go since I heard about it and-"

"Oi!" Kelsa barked. "Sit down and shut the hell up."

Spencer sat down and shut the hell up, trying to remain as still as possible but he continued to fidget excitedly in his seat.

"After we see what Yuri wants, after we take care of whatever it is he needs doing and we stock up on blood and other necessities, you can climb to the top of Titan's Tower and jump for all I care." Kelsa said darkly.

"I'd still die happy!" Spencer exclaimed. "Thank you! I'm going to load up the car! Hurry up and eat! I already got the directions on my phone; we'll be in Jump City in less than two hours! YES!"

Spencer jumped from his seat and scurried off, dragging their bags behind him as he ran out the door. Kelsa sighed in exasperation as he heard their suitcases banging against what seemed to be every wall and door Spencer passed by.

They had been driving for an hour and Spencer still had not shut up about how awesome the Titans were. About how they had their own cartoon series on Saturday mornings that still aired, their own line of toys and comic books, that they had saved the earth more times than he could count, and were honorary citizens of Japan. It seems humans really were obsessed with the new gods, even the juvenile ones.

"If you already know all this what's the point of going to a museum devoted to them?" Kelsa asked.

"For the swag!" Spencer said.

"The what?" Kelsa asked.

"The gear! The merch!" Spencer explained. "They have stuff in the gift shop you can't get anywhere else! Officially licensed Robin capes, Raven cloaks, Teen Titans walkie-talkie communicators, Beast Boy shirts, Cyborg's guide to grilling like a champ, and Starfire's mustard flavored gummy star bolts!"

"That's revolting." Kelsa muttered as he lit a cigarette.

"Yeah, I'll probably give that last one a pass." Spencer admitted. "But it isn't just about the stuff; it's also where they LIVED! Where they hung out in between kicking butt and saving the day! It would be like setting foot inside the watchtower!"

He grinned and clenched his fists excitedly. They drove in silence for the first time since they left the hotel until finally Spencer asked Kelsa a question he had wanted to ask him for a while.

"Are you ever going to make me a vampire?"

Kelsa exhaled a jet of smoke from his mouth and didn't answer right away.

"I mean, we've been traveling together for over a year now." Spencer said. "And, don't get me wrong I'm grateful for what you've done for me, it's just, you know… what's gonna happen to me?"

"That's up to you." Kelsa said. "I never had the intention of taking an apprentice or blooding anyone but you've proven to be resourceful in your own right. You've been with me long enough to see what this life is like. The question is what do you want to do?"

"Well… Being a vampire kind of sucks. No pun intended…" Spencer said. "Even if you're a "living" vampire like you but… I want to help people. I want to fight. I don't want what happened to… what happened to me to happen to anyone else ever again."

"It's going to happen." Kelsa said. "Again and again. You can't save everyone."

"I'm sure as hell going to try." Spencer said indignantly. "I don't know if I want to become a vampire but I do know I want to be a vampire hunter."

Kelsa nodded.

"I can work with that." He said.

An hour later they arrived in Jump City. Spencer grinned like a child with his face pressed against the window as they crossed the bridge and passed by Titan's Tower. When they made it into the city proper they stopped at a hotel and checked in before grabbing a bite to eat at a Big Belly Burger across the street.

"Who is this Yuri guy anyway?" Spencer asked dumping ketchup on his fries. "Is he a vampire or a hunter or something?"

"No." Kelsa scoffed. "No, he never had the spine to be a proper hunter but he knows the territory. Haven't spoken to him in a few years, not since he moved out west. I know he runs a coffee shop on Santiago Boulevard. We'll start there."

"All right." Spencer nodded. "What do you think he wants?"

"No telling. Like I said he usually keeps his head down. He had a bad run in with a Jorogumo a few years back and decided to retire."

"A what?"

"A shapeshifting spider monster that eats blokes."

"Ew."

"Yeah."

After they finished eating they headed over to Santiago where it didn't take them long to find Yuri's coffee shop. The coffee shop Yuri owned back in New York was tiny, capable of accommodating perhaps a dozen people. His new shop, the Bitter Bite, was at least three times the size and actually had a small stage, not just a battered old stool in the corner. Inside the air smelled of freshly brewed coffee and exotic spices and was filled with young adults dressed in mostly black with hair colors that ranged from black to neon pink.

"Cool!" Spencer said with a grin.

"Weirdos." Kelsa muttered.

"Don't hate." Spencer said. "Besides, you're literally a blood sucking vampire, a vampire that kills other vampires. And werewolves. And… well, pretty much anything else that gets in your way."

"Fair enough."

Yuri Wraith spotted them in the crowd from behind the service counter. He smiled nervously and waived them over.

"Kelsa!" He said walking to meet them. "It's been a long time."

"It has." Kelsa said a bit stiffly as he shook his hand. "I see you're doing well for yourself."

"Yeah." Yuri laughed leading them over to the bar. "Jump City's been good to me. Can I get you guys anything?"

"Can I have chocolate milk?" Spencer asked Kelsa. "And a cookie?"

"You just ate."

"I'm a growing boy!"

Kelsa sighed and nodded irritably.

"Do you have any blood in?" Kelsa asked quietly.

"I have Clamato juice." Yuri replied.

"Damn it Yuri." Kelsa sighed.

"You know I've retired." Yuri said. "I don't cater to that crowd anymore."

"Just give me a tea then. White."

A chubby kid wearing a long black Victorian tailcoat and a top hat gently rapped his cane against the bar.

"Good evening Math-ter Wraith." He said, his fake fangs giving him a bit of a lisp.

"Ah, Master Vladimir! A pleasure as always." Yuri said in a velvety voice. "What can I get for you?"

"Clamato Juith. Spithy."

Yuri poured the blood red liquid into a wine glass, doing his best to avoid Kelsa's hateful gaze as he did. Spencer snorted into his chocolate milk. Vladimir glanced over at Kelsa and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh cool!" He said.

He took out his fangs and smiled at Kelsa.

"Where'd you get your work done?" He asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your fangs! They're totally realistic!"

Yuri uncomfortably cleared his throat and set the wine glass on the counter as Spencer burst out laughing.

"Walk away." Kelsa said darkly. **"Now."**

Vladimir nervously took his drink and backed away into his entourage of vampire kids.

"You know, if I hadn't personally seen you rip one's head off with your bare hands, I'd say you hate vampire kids even more than actual vampires." Spencer laughed.

"It's pretty damn close." Kelsa muttered. "Pretending like it's some kind bloody game, like their having a laugh."

"People pretending to be vampires pretending to be humans." Spencer said. "You know, on the other side of the fence it is kind of pathetic."

"Can you please stop scaring my customers?" Yuri said anxiously. "Kyle's parents are loaded and he spends a lot of money in here."

"Just keep him away from me." Kelsa muttered.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Yuri said. "Poor kid looked like he nearly pissed himself."

"He did a little." Kelsa muttered into his teacup

Yuri wrinkled his nose in disgust as a pair of girls came up to the service counter.

"Can I get a hot chocolate with extra cream?" The shorter girl asked.

"Sure." Yuri said. "And the usual, Rach?"

"Yeah." The other girl said.

Spencer casually leaned against the bar and titled his head up at the girls.

"What's up?" He said oblivious to his milk mustache.

"Aw~!" The shorter girl cooed.

She knelt down and gave his cheek a pinch.

"Maybe in your dreams, squirt." She said sweetly.

She ruffled his hair and walked away sipping her drink.

"Alright, cool!" Spencer called. "See ya later!"

The other girl briefly made eye contact with Kelsa before taking her rosehip tea and leaving to join the other girl at a table in front of the stage. Kelsa's gaze lingered on her for a moment before turning back to Yuri.

"Who are they?" He asked.

"Regulars." Yuri said refilling Kelsa's tea cup.

"Their scent." Kelsa said turning back to glance at them. "It's off but I can't place it."

"Don't worry about it. They're cool." Yuri said. "Besides, that's not why I called you here."

"Go play." Kelsa said to Spencer.

Spencer huffed and hopped off his stool before wandering off.

"Is it safe to talk here?" Kelsa asked lowering his voice.

"Oh yeah." Yuri said dismissively. "They're all focused on the stage and if anyone does overhear us they'll just think we're rehearsing for World of Darkness."

"Rehearsing for what?"

"A game people play to have a laugh." Yuri said impatiently. "Anyway, I have a job for you."

"Thought you said you retired."

"Not that kind of job." Yuri said placing a framed photo on the counter. "One of my regulars went missing a week ago. No one's heard from her and I'm worried she might be in real trouble. She's the one there on the far left."

The photo was of Yuri and what seemed to be the staff and regulars of the Bitter Bite, all dressed for a Goth-themed Christmas party.

"Seriously?" Kelsa asked flatly. "You're cashing in your favor for this?"

"I'm cashing in but one of many favors for this." Yuri corrected. "Her name is Marianne Shelly but she goes by Nightingale."

Kelsa scoffed. Yuri frowned at him but continued.

"She's a good kid but she comes from a troubled home. She's run away before but never this long and not without telling any of us where she is. We're all a family here. We look out for each other. She wouldn't have taken off for good without letting any of us know."

"Isn't this a matter more suited for the police?" Kelsa asked. "Or anyone else? I have more important things to do then search for a missing school girl."

"The police haven't found anything and Batman won't take my calls." Yuri deadpanned.

Kelsa scoffed.

"Why do you care so much?" He asked through a sip of tea.

"Like I said, we look out for each other." Yuri replied. "I know this might be a bit hard to wrap your head around but we can't all be an antisocial killing machine."

Kelsa exhaled heavily through his nose and drummed his fingers on the counter top.

"Fine." He growled. "But we need to resupply while we're in town. I know you don't run with the pack anymore but there's a disturbingly large nest of Nosferatu up in Sacramento. Do you have anything for us or not?"

"I might have some old keepsakes lying around." Yuri admitted. "What do you need?"

Kelsa pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it across the table. Yuri picked up the list and scanned the items with his eyes.

".50 cals?" Yuri asked incredulously. "Jesus, Kelsa! Do the vampires even disintegrate when you shoot them or do they just explode?"

"Bit of both really." Kelsa smirked.

"I don't have any .50s." Yuri said shaking his head. "But I do have a few canisters of .45 AG rounds I can let go, along with some stakes and enough holy water to take a bath in… yeah I can help you but it'll take a day to get it out of storage."

"That'll give me plenty of time to find your runaway." Kelsa said. "Where does she live?"

Yuri tore off the bottom of the piece of paper and scrawled the address on it.

"Muvato still doing business on the pier?" Kelsa asked.

"As far as I know." Yuri replied.

"I'll have to pay him a visit then since you're pouring "clamato juice" these days. Can you keep an eye on the kid tonight?" Kelsa asked pocketing the slip of paper.

"Yeah, he can stay here." Yuri nodded with a sigh.

His eyes fell on Spencer who sat on a couch in the corner across the room playing a videogame.

"Could have sworn you said you'd never take on a protégé." Yuri smirked. "To be honest I was a little alarmed when I gave you a ring and a little boy answered and said you were in the shower."

"Cute." Kelsa said sarcastically. "And he isn't my protégé. I picked him up in Central City a little over a year ago. He's clever. He makes himself useful."

"How'd that happen?" Yuri asked.

"How do you think it happened?" Kelsa replied darkly.

A shadow fell over Yuri's face. He looked back at the smiling little boy that was lost in his own world and nodded.

"You want another cup?" He asked.

"No." Kelsa said. "I'm heading out. I'll let you know if I find anything on your girl."

"Thank you." Yuri said. "I figured if anyone could find her it'd be you."

"Whatever." Kelsa said rising to his feet. "But you and I both know that after three days I'm probably looking for a body."

With a mournful frown, Yuri watched the vampire leave the coffee shop. Kelsa stepped outside the door and vanished in a blur of movement, unnoticed by the patrons inside the shop or the citizens on the street.

"Vampiric asshole." Yuri muttered wiping his eye on the back of his sleeve.

He cleared his throat, picked up his guitar from behind the counter and took to the stage as Vile took a seat in the crowd.

Kelsa wasted no time getting to Maiden Avenue. He'd never be able to navigate through all the Friday night traffic in Jump City so he opted to "flit" instead, his vampire speed allowing him to arrive in just a few minutes, the streetlight flickering overhead as he appeared on the corner. The residential street was abandoned at this hour. Everyone was either inside their homes asleep or out on the town enjoying the weekend. Marianne's house, number 579 was a bit of a dump. Two stories tall, white wood paneling and a blue garage beneath a long window looking into the living room on the second floor.

The vampire circled around the house looking for a security system. With none to be found he searched for his way inside, finding a window on the second floor with black butterfly decals on the inside of the glass he assumed to belong to the girl. Sinking his nails into the wood of the house he scaled the wall like a spider. He frowned when he arrived at her window and saw that nails had been driven though the wood. He cursed under his breath and dropped back down to the ground below. He made his way to the back of the house and found the back door to be locked. He sighed and gently pressed the fingers of his left hand to the lock. There was a small pop of static electricity and the locked clicked open. Even though it was a waste of his time, Kelsa had to admit that it was a good call for Yuri to hire a vampire to track the girl down. They don't tend to bother with things like "search warrants" that humans tend to be so fond of.

The door creaked open and Kelsa quietly stepped into the small kitchen. In the corner by the window Kelsa could just make out a small dinner table almost buried beneath plastic grocery bags and trash. The stench of rotting food came from the small mountain of dirty dishes in the sink and one didn't need to be a vampire to detect the skunky smell of pot and cheap beer coming from the living room upstairs. Kelsa's shadow stretched across the wall as he ascended the stairs like a phantom. The living room was dark, illuminated only by the flickering light coming from the television in front of the window. Sitting in an armchair in front of it was a beefy man in pajama bottoms and a stained tank top. Passed out on the couch next to him was a frail looking woman that smelled like a burning joint, her skin aged prematurely from smoking. The man burped and took a sip from his can of beer, chuckling at the program on the TV. Kelsa briefly debated on whether or not it was wrong of him to be willing to save some people and feed others to the things he hunted before slipping by the man and quietly making his way down the hall towards the girl's bedroom.

He noted more butterfly decals on the door and waited until he heard another bout of raucous laughter coming from the living room before he gently pressed the door open with a slight creak. He stepped into the darkness of Marianne's bedroom and closed the door behind him. It was like stepping into an edgy, gothic version of Wonderland. Black light posters depicting mushrooms and butterflies adorned the girl's walls along with strings of multi-colored wire lights that made the room shine like Christmas. Kelsa scoffed at a Labyrinth poster on the wall and began his search.

He found her phone resting on a night stand and plugged into her wall along with some Japanese romance comic book and a receipt from the Titans Tower Museum serving as a bookmark. No way would a teenaged girl leave her phone behind if she was leaving for good. He picked it up and studied the screen for a second, tracing the finger prints with his eyes before he unlocked the screen and began searching through her text history. Some girl named Lilith asking about a concert they were going to attend… a girl named Rachel asking if she still wanted to borrow that book on Eastern European mythology… broke up with her boyfriend via text message which even to Kelsa seemed like a crap thing to do.

He placed her phone back down on the table and scanned the room. He searched her drawers and her closet but found nothing that might give him a clue as to where she was. He crouched down and peered underneath her bed only to find nothing but uncluttered floor. Odd. Usually people cram all sorts of things down here. Everybody has secrets. This girl is just particularly adept at hiding them. He rose to his feet when he felt the floorboard underneath his foot creak oddly. He slid a fingernail underneath the slit in the wood and pried it out revealing a small secret compartment. Inside was a black notebook, obviously her diary and a Batman tin. He opened the tin first. It was empty save for a few copper pennies. Maybe a stash of money she cleared out before leaving?

Kelsa opened the notebook next. He thumbed through the pages, frowning as he read. Typical human nonsense about school, mean girls and classes accompanied by doodles of butterflies and poems. She began to reference someone she identified only as "M". How much she loved him and how he understood her, how he was the only thing keeping her together. Kelsa frowned thoughtfully as he studied a picture of a grown up Alice holding hands with a handsome White Knight and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Not bad actually…" He thought raising his eyebrows thoughtfully.

He flipped to the final entry, a sort of foreword written by the author. She spoke of how she was done with her miserable existence at home, how her parents didn't love her, and that she was ready to be with her one true love. Her White Knight. Finally there was an apology to her friends, promising to return one day but she never named her destination.

"Run child! Run!" He thought sarcastically.

A soft creak from the floorboards in the hallway…

Kelsa pocketed the journal and rose to his feet, quickly taking cover behind the door just as it opened. The slob stood in the doorway reeking of fear and clenching a kitchen knife in his hand.

"Who's there?" He whispered. "I know you're in here…"

He took a cautious step into the room.

"Mary?" He said uncertainly. "That you, girl?"

Kelsa closed the door behind him, leaned his head forward and breathed an invisible cold gas into the man's face. The slob's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Kelsa clicked his tongue thoughtfully and knelt down next to the amorphous blob of hair lying on the floor. He hadn't fed in a while and flitting from the café had taken a bit more out of him than he expected.

"Waste not." He thought to himself.

He picked up the man's chubby arm and sank his fangs into his salty flesh.

" _Blood, my child. It is not only zee source of our power. It is life itself."_

Sweet. Always sweet.

" _It is a long und lonely road we walk mein Liebling. You vill meet many on your travels."_

As he drank, visions swept through his mind that made his skin crawl. He saw a frightened little girl, lying in her bed and pretending to be asleep as the dark figure of the man she called father stood in the doorway.

" _You vill meet men und monsters alike. Sometimes, it vill be 'ard to tell zee difference between zee two. It is our choices zat define us my child. A choice to be eizer Mann… or monster."_

He saw how he'd creep into her room in the late hours of the night and the uncaring, narcissistic mother who knew only jealousy and contempt. How a child's unconditional love for her parents turned to fear, how fear turned to hatred, and how hatred became nothing at all.

 _I love you daddy…_

The vision ended and Kelsa's chest heaved in quiet fury as he held the knife over the unconscious man's head.

 _Vee alvays have a choice child. Remember zat._

Kelsa made his choice when he brought the knife down and buried it in the wood next to the man's head with a savage grunt, driving the blade all the way down to the hilt. He rose to his feet, still shaking with a rage he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back for long. He quickly left the house and disappeared into the night.

"Run child…" He thought. "Run…"

Kelsa sat on top of the steel cargo container and took in a deep breath of the cool salty night air. The sight of the sea. The ships. It was enough to remind him of another time. To remind him of home. He heard the crunching of tires as a van pulled up behind him. He hopped down from his perch just as a tall, ebony skinned man got out of the van and smiled widely at him.

"Kelsa Ern!" He laughed. "As I live and breathe! My friend, it is good to see you!"

"Hello Muvato." Kelsa said shaking his hand. "How's the trade?"

"Never been better my friend!" Muvato laughed again walking around the back of the van. "As I always say to my donors, it is better to be paid to bleed into a bag than to bleed out on the ground."

He came back around with a cooler which he set on the hood of the van.

"Now, normally I charge four hundred a bag but for you, I charge only three! Friend's price! I'll even let you take home the cooler with you!"

"Cheers mate." Kelsa said taking a wad of money out of his pocket. "I'll need as much as you can give."

"I have ten bags with me now. If you will be in town another week, I can have ten more for you."

"I doubt I'll be in the area that long." Kelsa said.

He glanced up from the money and saw the nervous look on the man's face. The Somalian blood merchant was blinking a lot and kind of fidgety. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and back to Kelsa, trying to grin in a kind, familiar manner.

"Muvato…" Kelsa said slowly. "What have you done?"

A pained, desperate expression crossed Muvato's face.

"I-I-I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry! They made me-

Red mist erupted from behind Muvato's shoulder as a bullet tore through his flesh. He screamed in pain and fell to ground as Kelsa dove into covered behind a cargo container as automatic weapons fire crackled in the night air. Kelsa cursed as a round ricocheted off the cargo container near his head.

"Muvato!" He yelled. "You alive?!"

"Yes!" Muvato yelled from underneath the relative safety of his van. "I am alive!"

"You back stabbing bastard!"

"I did not have a choice!" Muvato yelled. "I figured if I could stay alive long enough, you could get us out of this!"

"Bloody- have you got a gun?"

"Yes! But my arm! I cannot shoot! You take it!"

Muvato pulled a handgun out from the hiding spot underneath his van and slid it over to Kelsa. Kelsa grabbed the Makarov from the ground and rolled into cover behind the van as he saw armored figures jumping down from the cargo containers across the yard. He leaned around cover and snapped off three shots, bringing three of the men down.

"Damn it." Kelsa muttered as three more took their place.

He reached up and quickly pulled the cooler of blood down off the hood of the van as the attackers opened fire, tearing the hood of the car to shreds. Kelsa opened the cooler and cursed when he saw it was empty.

"Damn it Muvato!" He roared.

"I'm sorry!" Muvato cried. "They took my stock! Destroyed it all!"

Kelsa growled in frustration and slammed a fist into the side of the van, leaving a large dent in the metal.

"My kingdom for a pint!" Kelsa roared.

"Spoken like a true Englishman!" Muvato chuckled nervously.

He spotted Muvato's blood pooling on the ground and saw his terrified face as more gun shots pierced the air. Muvato looked up at him and his eyes widened.

"No!" He said shaking his head.

"Sorry mate." Kelsa said.

He grabbed Muvato by the collar and pulled him out from under the van. He sank his teeth into Muvato's unharmed shoulder and drank as the African man squealed in pain. Kelsa pulled his head back and gasped as he felt himself return to fighting strength.

"Damn it!" Muvato yelled. "You could have just drunk from my wound!"

"Aye," Kelsa agreed wiping his mouth. "But I'm still pissed at you. Stay down!"

He dropped the blood dealer to the ground and vanished in a blur of movement, reappearing in cover behind a wooden crate. He fired the remaining rounds from the Makarov, bringing more attackers down with each pull of the trigger. He blurred across the shipyard, grabbing a pair of bodies and dragging them with him behind a cargo container. He relieved the men of their assault rifles and ammo before flitting back behind van.

"Right, I'm back." He said checking the magazine of the rifle. "This is military grade ordinance Muvato, silver jacketed hollow points! Who the bloody hell are these guys?"

"I do not know!" Muvato said. "They approached me when I got into the city a few days ago, said they would kill me if I didn't help them capture a vampire!"

"Too organized to be run of the mill hunters." Kelsa said. "Just keep your head down, I'll kick your ass later."

Kelsa leaned out from behind the van and returned fire.

"Look out!" Muvato yelled. "They are flanking right!"

Kelsa whirled around two see a pair of men on top of a cargo container take aim with their rifles. He rolled out of the way, avoiding the first shot but taking the second one in the shoulder. He looked down and saw a large dart sticking out of his arm. Nausea overtook him and his vision blurred as every muscle in his right arm suddenly began to feel cold and numb.

Deadman's blood.

He caught another dart in the stomach but he immediately knocked it out before staggering behind a cargo container. He rolled the sleeve of his shirt up and saw the veins under his skin starting to run black. He cursed and ran for cover as he heard more of the soldiers moving in on his position. Bullets bounced off the ground around his feet and he felt one graze his leg as he jumped into the darkness of an open cargo container. He cursed again and again as he fumbled with the rifle to load a fresh magazine into the container.

"Hey blood boy~!" A voice called out from a megaphone. "Come on out! We got you surrounded man, you ain't going anywhere."

Tommy stood by the van, flanked on either side by two armed soldiers with Muvato on his knees in front of him. He sighed and held the megaphone back up to his face.

"We got your buddy down here. He's bleeding pretty bad. Someone should get him to a hospital. No need for any more violence. Just come on out and we'll let'em go!"

Kelsa cursed and let his head fall back against the wall of the container. He could hear Muvato praying in Somali under his breath. Who the hell were these people? What did they want? They wanted a vampire. They weren't shooting to kill. They need him alive for some reason.

"I'll give'em a bloody vampire." He muttered.

"Alright." He yelled. "Alright I'm coming out!"

He tossed both rifles out of the cargo hold and they fell to the ground with a clatter. Tommy stuck out his lower lip and nodded approvingly.

"Can't believe that worked…" He muttered.

"No!" Muvato shouted. "No, don't do it Kelsa!"

"Shut up!" Tommy snapped. "Keep your mouth shut or a bullet in your shoulder will be the least of your problems! Besides, what do you care? The son of a bitch _bit_ you!"

"Alright," He said into the megaphone. "Keeps your hands raised and behind your head at all times! And no funny business. You're on your honor friend!"

Kelsa dropped down from the cargo container and landed hard on the gravel. He raised his hands above and behind his head as he stepped out of the darkness.

"Alright, move." Tommy said motioning his hand.

Two soldiers moved forward and forced Kelsa to his knees. Kelsa felt them cuffing his hands behind his back, whatever good that would do them. Suddenly he felt one of them jam a needle into his neck and gasped as more bad blood entered his system.

Oh…

He fell forward onto the ground as every ounce of strength left his body. He heard Tommy laugh in relief.

"Yeah, see?" Tommy said his feet crunching on the gravel as he walked towards Kelsa. "I told you guys we could take him alive."

"Let him... go…" Kelsa groaned.

"Sorry, what was that buddy?" Tommy asked kneeling down.

"Let… him… go…" Kelsa said through gritted teeth.

"Oh right!" Tommy exclaimed jumping to his feet. "Sorry, my bad!"

He drew a handgun from his waistband and shot Muvato in the face. His body fell to the graveled ground, scattering rocks in every direction, his dead eyes staring into Kelsa's as blood oozed from the wound in his forehead.

"See, it's not like I enjoy capping people or anything." Tommy said tucking his gun away and kneeling back to down to Kelsa. "It's just, well, we don't like it when dudes deal with freaks like you, you know? I mean, dealing stolen blood to fangs just to earn a couple of bucks? Way to sell out your own kind!"

His cellphone rang in his pocket.

"Hold on bud. Gotta take this."

He rose and answered his phone.

"Hey boss. Yeah we got one… Yeah we're loading him up now."

He motioned with his free hand and the two soldiers picked Kelsa up and began dragging him to a white armored van.

"Yeah but I think he's one of those breathers, that cool? Really? Alright, I'm on my way."

He hung up and gave a sharp whistle through his fingers.

"Okay people let's move, let's move!" He said clapping his hands together. "We're goin' clubbing!"


End file.
